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Adventurously Expectant Life

Nicholas Sparks writes 4 hours a day. He’s written a multitude of best sellers. Yesterday, I wrote for over 4 hours and produced 1 post. *Sigh*

I want to include everything God has shown me since the last post. And everything He reminded me about from past sources. He talks to me all day long.

I used to read my Bible and write my posts in the morning. (My mind is the most productive in the morning.) Then I fell behind. Backtracking over chapters I read the day before is hard. I would publish a post and realize I left out a key point!

I still write my post early in the morning. But sometimes, I don’t read the chapters assigned to that day until after lunch! On Sundays, I may not read them until right before bed.

I write verses, excerpts from my devotionals or the book I’m studying, down. Then I sleep on it. It takes all night for my unconscious mind to put together a somewhat cohesive form.

This new “routine” takes up more time. The laundry still needs doing and dinner made. I don’t want to forget to practice. I’ve found myself asking, “What should I do next, Lord?”

I get bogged down with urgent items and trying to stick to a strict routine. When I prayerfully consider my list – it all gets done.

Several times over the last week, God instructed me to “Take a nap” next! He’s a good father!

Romans 8:15-17, “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’ (16) God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. (17) …Father and children…” The Message

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“I used to think God’s gifts were on shelves one above the other, and that the taller we grew in Christian character the easier we should reach them. I find now that God’s gifts are on shelves one beneath the other, and that it is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower, and that we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts.” F. B. Meyer

We all have gifts from God. We all have a job, a purpose. Sometimes, we know what it is, sometimes we don’t!

I know I have a gift to play the piano. Satan tried to snuff it out, but he could never take it away.

I didn’t know I had a gift to write! The secretarial tasks were my least favorite duties when I worked at the church. (I enjoyed taking whatever offering the Lord gave and stretching it as far as possible.)

Yet, the writing was a gift I carried – like a pregnant woman. I started a diary as a preteen and I have boxes of journals. That gift just waited for the right time.

Romans 8:25, “That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.” The Message

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“The adult coral invertebrates, known as polyps, work underwater constructing coral reefs. They so never imagine they are building the foundation of a new island, which will someday support plants and animals and will be a home where the children of God will be born…Beloved, if your place in God’s army is hidden and secluded, do not grumble and complain. …He is looking for those who are willing to serve in places hidden from the sight of others, yet in full view of heaven, and who are sustained by the Holy Spirit.” “Streams in the Desert” June 21

Have you seen the video of the lava rushing to the ocean in Hawaii? The earth is groaning for the things to come. Volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, monsoons, typhoons, floods, wildfires, and famines are labor pains.

Romans 8:18-19, “That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. (19) The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next.” The Message

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Mark 13:8, “Nation will rise against nation. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” New International Version